British Expatriate Network

http//news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/programmes/happiness_formula/


Click on how the far right happiness in Bhutan and after reviewing and viewing the video, give some opinions on what characterizes happiness for you.

Do you prefer a more materialistic or a more "spiritual" view of happiness??? Can happiness be ever achieved in today's society???

I have read a book on the Dalai Lama written by Howard C. Cutler, the Art of happiness and after seeing the link I sort of remembered his views on consumerism. I am not a buddhist, but I simphatize and agree with some of it's teachings....

Sounds about right to me.

I couldn't watch the video, it just loaded and zipped thru without showing anything. I did however do the quiz and I'm a satisfied happy person.
grin

I had problems with the video too, so did the little quiz ... the results flashed briefly before disappearing... I wasn't happy about THAT ! grin

For me personally, happiness definitely comes from within. From my own experiences it does not matter if you have a nice house, all the latest 'stuff' and a nice little nest egg, you can still be unhappy and wonder why. For years I worked in jobs that 'paid the bills and more' but always had a sense of something missing. For me it was finding my 'creative' side that had always been lurking in the background and labelled "ONE DAY".

At 42 I no longer have the things my friends of the same age have. Family could not understand why I would 'give up' the security of a nice home, a good job etc to go wandering around the planet and do what I have done, but I would not swap it for anything. I'm finally being 'me' and even though it is a struggle financially, it has taught me a lot about what it is I need to be happy.

Do you guys have real player installed on your computer? It is a such great documentary, it is a shame not to see it...

And it yes, I have been slowly learning, that happiness has to come from within and personal satisfaction. Obviously if you ask a poor person without a house, for him/her happiness will be to have a home, be able to provide for the family.

But in Buthan they live modestly and consider themselves satisfied and happy, also the Buthanese government doesn't allow the sale of soft drinks such as Coke for the sake of health and "happiness". Their claim is, they have spring water widely available and why feed the kids junk???

Other thing mentioned was since the arrival of the television many families are communicating less and spending less time together, family traditions are being broken for the sake of Indian soap opera. In one family the mum sometimes forgets to cook dinner or pray because she is glued to the T.V.



Certainly our western values are"killing" and breaking many families....

posh, I tried viewing it with windows media player.. which I hardly use, so will definitely go back and check it out with realplayer.

Sounds right up my alley
grin

Happiness is just one emotion that we all experience. I am experiencing a combination of those emotions at this moment.

My eldest grandson has just graduated from University ( MechEng.) and it looks as though he has landed a start on his dream career.
That career is as a pilot. At 23 he already has 7 years of flying experience and in his spare time teaches people to fly.
The job offer is to fly for a Sander Geophysics ( a local company http//www.sgl.com/ ) and the first contract will take him to Gabon, Africa.

So on one hand I'm happy for him, but also have a number of other emotions regarding his safety etc.

If you would like to see/follow his story, his blog ( complete with photos) is an interesting read on his life so far.
http//spaces.msn.com/ckiff/

I scored as i though i would highly satisfied .

I used my signature strengths in my work social inteligence and fairness being some of them happiness doesnt mean masses of money to everybody , i was in a work environment where folks coiuld earn oodles of money by working almost 24 hours a day and it seems to give them some decree of happiness .
With me im in control of my life and that is one of my goals in * pursuit of happiness * as in the american dream .

As the tapes says you wont make a* crouch * happy we see that in a few examples here on this board some folks will complain all the time about everything and never seems to be happy in there work . social life , or innner self how they can live like that i dont know . live is to short to not stive for happiness every day of your life and change the things you can in reaching for that goal .

Giving up some wealth / possesions changing locations ,jobs may in some cases give you more inner peace happiness than having the biggest house on the block and the lastest in adult toys the world has to offer .

I know of folks who have more money, possesions , than i could ever acummadate in my life yet still seem to have that doubt as to what they are striving for .

As one previous poster pointed out *being yourself * goes a long way to abtaining that highest and elusive goal of *happiness *

Ok, I watched almost all of those little videos. Quite interesting.

I wasn't surprised to hear that although (In the UK as their example), people were three times wealthier but not three times happier. I think they hit the nail on the head with regard to 'material things'. Something is new, its a novelty, then eventually we do adapt to having it. So what's next...the search to find that next 'thing' that you think will make you happy.

I found it amusing to hear that 'there was no significant happiness from having children'!
As a childless person myself, I have always been bombarded by well meaning friends about when I would ever settle down and have a family, and I've always said "WHY?".
And now I find the same thing with questions about why I don't have the latest TV, Computer gear, or whatever is currently the trend. I guess I'm just weird like that.

After a year of basic cable.. next month its being cancelled. I'm preparing myself for friends who watch all the reality shows and hit series to ask.. WHY? LOL

Thanks for that link posh!

Why? For the simple reason that although bringing children into this world is both a challenge and expensive, it does provide many both happy and perhaps traumatic experiences.

All my children have left home ( long ago) and my eldest grandson is about to leave Ottawa, my wife and I have many wonderfull memories to look back on. Not all parents are as fortunate, but for the vast majority it's the most satisfying experience in life.

I lean more to the spiritual side of happiness.

Like Thoreau said, "The price of anything is the amount of life you exchange for it."

/Thoreau was a great man with sensible things to say

[I found it amusing to hear that 'there was no significant happiness from having children'!
As a childless person myself, I have always been bombarded by well meaning friends about when I would ever settle down and have a family, and I've always said "WHY?".
And now I find the same thing with questions about why I don't have the latest TV, Computer gear, or whatever is currently the trend. I guess I'm just weird like that.

After a year of basic cable.. next month its being cancelled. I'm preparing myself for friends who watch all the reality shows and hit series to ask.. WHY? LOL

Thanks for that link posh![/quote]

If people bombard you with question regarding your personal decision not to have children they are just rude. One of my best friends, she lives in Spain now, doesn't have kids and I NEVER have asked her why. I just accept them as they are, fun, childless couple and when they have parties and ask me not to bring the kids, I don't feel offended and I never take them with me. I see it as a time for me to have fun and bond with my husband (which brings me to remember that we should visit them again, we are in much need of a time off!!! wink ).

When we are together (my friend an I), life just doesn't go around our kids(which is a wonderful break for us) and we have so much fun together. Actually, they are more tolerant of my kids and their trantrums than other people with kids and always have encouraging things to say. They are always happy to see us and have a bright view of the future.

I believe a person can be happy without kids. If I had the knowledge I have about life today, I would have waited a little bit longer, it is hard to juggle life with a family and a university degree.

When I took the test, my score was happy but with areas to work on, and I know which areas and what I need to do to achieve it. Moan less and be happy with life, as John said, life is just too short to be complaining all the time.

That's interesting about kids, because having one myself has given me great happiness, but of course it means sacrificing material goods so I suppose the people who think happiness will come from possessions could feel in part unhappy about the restrictions children place on their lives, but the average is evened about by those who think it's happiness... maybe!

Certain amounts of material things can make a person happier than being without them tho, but the pursuit of material things to specifically make happiness isn't going to because it ultimately has to come from within. I am basically happy, but will be happier when I can own a home because I can make it my home and not have to have beige walls ever ever again or worry about putting piccies up because of the damage. It will make me happier having a detached house because after a 9 month period of living with neighbours from hell I literally fear being subjected to other people's music ever again.

Happiness can be achieved if lots of people ever bothered to look at themselves to see what they have as opposed to noting what they don't have.

I don't want to imply that life is a zero sum game, but most things have plus' and minus' attached to them. Commitment such as marriage brings joys and also responsibilities; sometimes the responsibilities are a heavy and painful load to carry. Having children can be a wonder, but they can also be deep disappointment and sometimes, a heavy burden. There is no absolute here, "to each his own". Some people have a professional drive or a vocation to be fulfilled and children would be in the way, for others, the children are the vocation.

As to the things that support life, I am coming to the conclusion that too much choise leads to unhappiness. If you are faced with Hobson's Choise, there is no decision to worry about. I recently had the unpleasure of trying to determine which of forty plus medicare drug plans I would take. The process was stressful. I occasionally had to do the supermarket shop when the children were younger and when I used to look for the kids cereals in the cereal aisle at the supermarket, there were so many that I would wander up and down several times. The management didn't help because they rearrange the shelves at irregular intervals. In those days I would be pressed for time and I would emerge all effing and blinding.

whole heartadly agree! All I want is to able to buy my own place, raise my daughter with a garden! not too much to ask is it?